A comparison of dmf index and oral hygiene index between downsyndrome subjects and a control group in Riyadh

Introduction and Objective: Down syndrome is a genetic disorder of chromosome 21 that is characterized by physical and mental disability. The incidence of Down Syndrome in Saudi Arabia is estimated to be 1 in 500, which is higher than the world average. Many studies have been done around the world to compare the DMF Index and OHI between the children with Down Syndrome and the normal children. No such study has been conducted in KSA therefore the aim of this study was to compare the DMF Index and the Oral Hygiene Index between the children with Down Syndrome and normal children with no Down Syndrome in Riyadh, KSA. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional, observational clinical study with a sample size of 200 subjects. Our control group was composed of 100 Normal Children who were randomly selected and examined at an elementary public school in Riyadh. The other 100 subjects were Down Syndrome children. These subjects were examined at DSCA center, Saudi center for down syndrome, and Saut society in Riyadh. Oral examination done by using regular examination instruments on regular chair. The indexes used in this study: Decayed-Missing-Filled Index (DMFT) Oral hygiene index (OHI) Results: All data was analyzed by Excel software using the student’s t-test There was no statistically significant difference between any of the parameters in the control and study group. The results were calculated at 95% confidence level (P value = 0.05) After comparison the values were: D= 0.059, M=0.090, F=0.65, and OHI=0.098. Conclusion: No statistically significant difference was observed in the DMF index or OHI between the Down syndrome subjects and the normal subjects in the control group.